


The Lost

by I_Gave_You_Fair_Warning



Series: Undead Chosen One [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rise of Empire Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horror, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Facility Horror, Gen, Gratuitous Gore, Undead Chosen One, Vampire Anakin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-10-01 02:51:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10179053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Gave_You_Fair_Warning/pseuds/I_Gave_You_Fair_Warning
Summary: The Raydonia mission ended in disaster. Obi-Wan's just trying to retrieve the broken pieces.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The explicit rating is for violence and horror. No sexuality. It may get a little disgusting during the sortie, by the by.

 

“Satine, if you have lost me Anakin...”

“What's that, General?”

Obi-Wan looked up from the holomap at Rex, who looked almost as worn and exhausted as himself. “Just ruing the time I spent unconscious allowing the trail to go cold.”

“Sir. Your injuries were extensive. You're _still_ not fully recovered. You had no choice.”

_I_ could  _have been allowed to come to long enough to ask them to send help_ before  _the tracks faded._

A week and a half.

_A week and a half._

And no sign of Maul, Savage, and worse—

Anakin.

_Where are you?_

“You should get some sleep, Sir.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “Who  _knows_ what's being done to him.” Memories of his own torture surfaced, driving home yet again the lance of fear.

And guilt.

_Maul is only interested in Anakin because of me. Because I_ wasn't  _good enough to defeat him._

_Because I'm a farce._

Satine's voice echoed his words, slunk through his mind, trying to rip it to shreds.

_I couldn't save Qui-Gon._ Obi-Wan grit his teeth.  _I will_ not  _fail Anakin._

 

* * *

 

Anakin sat shivering in the dark. It was strange to feel the tremble in his hands— to hear the quiver of his voice in the breaths he didn't  _need_ to take but couldn't seem to  _stop_ drawing in and out.

Burned into his retinas, Obi-Wan's broken body. The blood sliding down his forearms.

The place where metal pierced flesh.

To hold him in place, the stake would have been driven in between the two bones, the wrist joint taking the weight as he hung.

The rest of his body had been so wounded too.

The bruising, broken bones, the  _burns—_

_But I didn't see any of that. I didn't see_ him.  _All I saw was what I wanted him to give to me._

Anakin's insides convulsed, but he brought nothing up— no fluids at all.

He was jittery. He didn't know how long he'd been unaware, but it must have been quite some time, because—

He should have eaten—

A long time ago.

There was also something— something  _missing—_

Memories.

He could guess their shape based on the things that surrounded them.

But he had no idea what filled the cutouts.

The harder he searched, the worse it became—

The starlight that Obi-Wan's torturer had harnessed had burned holes in his brain.

_And I don't know what was lost._

It terrified him, but he couldn't help but think he  _deserved_ it for the way he saw Obi-Wan.

Dragging himself to his feet, Anakin inspected the walls of his prison.

_I have to get out of here. Find him._

His master had been in terrible condition, certainly  _not_ fighting condition, and if someone had defeated Obi-Wan, the likelihood of Ventress  _winning_ was slim.

_They're too evenly matched._

He reached out to touch one of the walls—

Hell descended.

Unable to speak, to move, his mind screamed as pieces of himself were torn from it, bursting into flame and vanishing forever in the cruel starlight bathing his face.

_Oh, Force,_ please,  _no—_

He fought to protect the memories most important to him, trying to wrap his essence and will around them like armor.

His mother holding him close.

Padmé kissing him at the Geonosian arena.

Ahsoka's face lighting up as he said he'd keep her.

And Obi-Wan.

So much Obi-Wan.

_“You will be a Jedi, I promise.”_ When all his master had wanted to do was crawl onto the pyre with Qui-Gon.

_“You would make a fine teacher, Anakin.”_

_“Never doubt my faith in you.”_

_“Well done.”_

Obi-Wan embracing his changed self. Refusing to turn away.

Refusing to lose faith.

_Obi-Wan—_ he cried, knowing the light had stolen  _something,_ and not knowing  _what._ Knowing it was  _still stealing_ , knowing he was  _utterly helpless—_

_Please, please don't steal Obi-Wan from me—_

Warm arms holding his youngling self. Careful hands guiding his smaller ones in their grip on hilt of his first lightaber. Nimble fingers braiding the symbol of his padawanship.

The way he ran to Anakin's bedside when he sensed a nightmare.

The lines of exhaustion in his face as he tended to Anakin in illness. The way he bound his wounds when injured.

The way he eased his headaches. Mocked him. Laughed.

The way he'd collapsed into his arms after the Jabiim disaster.

The terrifying moment on Mortis when Obi-Wan looked at him, and saw his Chosen One. The expression, almost one of surrender, of allegiance on his face—

_None_ of it.  _None_ of it was he willing to let go of—

And he had absolutely no choice in the matter.

_And I won't know what I've lost._

So his soul screamed, weeping, begging for someone,  _anyone_ to intervene—

Desperately needing Obi-Wan to sweep in and hold him close, save him again, like he always had—

And knowing to his innermost depths—

_I don't deserve him to._

An eternity later, hell was shattered.

Consciousness cut off, and Anakin Skywalker knew no more.

Given what he'd lost—

He wasn't sure he wanted to wake again.

 

* * *

 

“Sir. We  _found_ him.”

They were the words Obi-Wan had been needing,  _desperately,_ to hear.

But as he looked at the data Cody sent to the holotable, he frowned. “This can't be right.”  
“Clone Intelligence reported a raid on an ancient fortress  _here—_ ” Cody pointed, “led by Count Dooku. We believe General Skywalker is being held  _here._ ”

“That facility isn't run by  _droids,_ ” Obi-Wan protested. “They're not going to be able to  _hold_ him there, and when he  _does_ get out...”

“How did the Separatists even find out where Anakin was?” Ahsoka asked, looking worried.

Obi-Wan shook his head. “I don't know.” He headed for the door leading from the bridge.

“Where are you going?” Ahsoka raced after him, moving to stand in his path. “We go  _together._ ”  
Obi-Wan looked behind her to find Rex, Cody, and a whole collection of others, with similar looks on their faces.

_Oh, Force..._

“Rex, Cody, Ahsoka, with me. We need to talk.” Obi-Wan led them into a deserted conference room and shut the door.

“I see your desire to save him.” Obi-Wan drew in a deep breath. He hadn't wanted to bring this up until they'd  _rescued_ him, but— “He has been subjected to unshielded starlight for we don't know how long. It has the possibility of stealing fine motor skills, muscle memory, or— or his mind's memory. We won't know what's left until we get there.”

“Understood, Sir.” Rex gave a stern nod.

_No, you really don't._

“So far, Anakin has been able to keep from harming any of you because he's been kept fed, and he cares deeply for all of you.”

Cody shifted, clearly uncomfortable. “And if he can't remember us... and he's  _not_ been fed...”

“If they know enough, and want to keep him sane, they will have fed him. If they don't know, they may think that denying him is a form of torture.” Obi-Wan drew in another deep breath, hoping it would still the silent panic that had stolen his soul the moment Ventress chose him over his child. “It's possible that they don't know that Anakin's brain requires others' blood, because his own system is stagnant. Without the gifted oxygen... his brain will start to decay.”

Rex's eyes widened. “ _Rot,_ Sir?”

His shock at least meant the captain hadn't been having nightmares where he's watching brown liquid ooze from Anakin's nose and ears.

Obi-Wan grit his teeth against the phantom smell. It was so real, in the dreams, his mind offering up all kinds of options—

Seeing the confusion, the agony in blue eyes, his brain too destroyed to realize what was happening or why, or even who Obi-Wan was—

The only thing it could recognize now was pain.

A hand, reaching for Obi-Wan, knowing instinctively he  _would_ bring comfort—

And Obi-Wan, locked in place, barely able to breath as he knew he couldn't.

Obi-Wan wouldn't be sleeping again until they brought Anakin home, not when  _this_ was what met his closed eyelids—

“As in... decomposing dead matter, Sir?” Rex again. Still.

_Or something._ “Yes, Rex.”

“What happens when it completely falls apart?”

“He dies.”

“I thought he was immortal,” Rex protested.

Obi-Wan raised his eyes to meet the confused gaze. “All things can be killed, Captain. There are ways for him. Starvation's the quickest.”  
“But it would be really bad, wouldn't it.” Ahsoka's voice sounded small. “Melting from the inside. He would suffer.”

Obi-Wan couldn't find it in him to lie, but he couldn't make his mouth move either. So he just tried to breathe, his gaze meeting hers for only a moment before she had to look away, unable to bear the weight of what he felt.

_I'm sorry._

He'd wanted to shield her from it, but she'd made her choice on the bridge.

“Once Anakin has been freed from his cell— probably  _before_ he steps out of it, he's going to feed. It won't be a matter of choice.”

Cody frowned. “But he will stop before killing. Sir.”

“If he remembers who we are, perhaps.”

The silence felt heavy.

“If he does not remember, he will go from person to person until he's no longer hungry.” Obi-Wan dragged a hand down his face. “If we're lucky, he will take from every person in the party, so not too much is lost from each.”

He could sense Ahsoka shrinking into herself, the suddenly closed presences of the clones.

His own exhaustion.

“Then our best chance is to go in with as many men as possible,” Cody concluded.

Rex scowled at him. “No.  _Stealth_ and  _speed_ are the only options. That facility is  _designed_ to stand against a large scale assault, and with General Skywalker's condition, they have a  _hostage._ ”

“If we sneak in with only a few people, we  _die,_ ” Cody argued.

“So we go in the daylight,” Rex countered. “We wait for morning.”

Ahsoka tapped the holotable. “Can we  _afford_ to wait several hours?”

“We don't have the intel to answer that question,” Cody pointed out.

“If we go in the daylight, then he won't harm us. We can get him back to the ship and contain him.”

Obi-Wan's eyebrows flicked. “Contain him? We don't have the facilities to contain him. The instant we enter hyperspace, he wakes up, and goes hunting.”

“But at least it would be on friendly territory, instead of behind enemy lines. Sir.”

Obi-Wan gave a nod. “It would also put more clones in harm's way if he doesn't remember.”

Cody went very still. “How many men can he take out before he's no longer hungry?”

“We have no way of answering that question.”

They all knew  _why_ .

_It's never been this bad before._

“I understand that all of you are willing to die for him,” Obi-Wan murmured. “That's not the question, here. The question is who is willing to let  _him_ kill them, when he may live with the regret of it for the rest of his existence.”

“ _Kark_ ,” Ahsoka hissed. “You're going to bring up the underage thing again.”

Obi-Wan leveled her with a stare. “No. I'm not.”

She looked surprised.

“I know that if I forbid you from coming, you will somehow sneak aboard our transport  _anyway._ We're better off together than divided in that case, so if you  _must_ come, I must know of it.”  
Respect lit her eyes for a moment before being lost in worry.

“As a matter of curiosity, General,” Cody spoke up, “when you were going alone, what was your plan?”

“Take the Twilight and R2, sneak in, free Anakin.”

“And when he drained you, Sir?”

Obi-Wan didn't much care for the way they were looking at him, as if they were about to collectively vomit. “One reason for bringing R2. Anakin would become aware of himself, the droid leads him out, and Anakin carries me. If I'm alive, you patch me up when we get back to the Negotiator. If not...” he shrugged, “you send me back to the Temple, or dump the body in deep space. Either way.”

Not a single muscle moved as three pairs of eyes stared at him.

It became uncomfortable.

“ _What_ ? Is there something on my face?”

“All due respect,” Rex murmured, “a man with that mindset should not be allowed to plan a sortie. Of any sort. Ever. Sir.”

Obi-Wan stared at him in disbelief. “ _I'm_ the only one Anakin has agreed to feeding from. _I'm_ the only one who has, _outside_ the heat of the moment, decided it's permissible for him to feed from me. _I'm_ the only one in the room who is a legal adult, and I am also the only one responsible for the prisoner in question. What would you rather me be? The sort of man who'd send a child and innocent troops after the creature of the night? As if _cannon fodder_ had less value than my own life?”

“We appreciate your desire to protect us,” Ahsoka countered, “but if I'm allowed to go into battle and run missions on my own, how far away is adulthood, really? Don't try to tell me that at my age you  _wouldn't_ have been willing to die for your master.”

Obi-Wan's heart leaped into his throat and he went very still. Did she  _know_ about Bandomeer?

He'd been three years younger than she was now—

_No_ , he decided with relief. She wasn't aware of what she'd just said.

Thank the Force for small mercies.

Once she found out about  _that,_ he was never going to have a moment's peace again.

“We'll take a small group,” Cody planned. “To get in we'll need to be able to foil the lifesign scanners.”

“Anakin had an idea about that,” Ahsoka volunteered. “Carbonite.”

“Being frozen  _in_ it, Sir?” Rex asked in disbelief.

She gave him a nod. “He ran the calculations and determined it's likely safe.”

_And they thought what_ I  _had to say was reckless. Sweet Force._

“R2 pilots, and in we sneak,” Ahsoka concluded. “We'll ask for volunteers.”

Obi-Wan thunked his palm down on the holotable. “I will only agree to this if the volunteers are warned  _exactly_ what they're signing up for. I will  _only_ allow those who assume this is a suicide mission to come. If we get out, well and good, but I don't want anyone who  _expects they will._ I'm not going to lead anyone into almost certain death who isn't ready.”

There was a microscopic wince in his commander's eye.

“Cody, I'm leaving you in command while we're gone. If we don't come back—”

Insult and hurt flooded his face. “You're leaving me  _behind,_ Sir? I'm willing to follow you into  _hell,_ Sir.”

“I know that, Cody.” Obi-Wan met his gaze. “But I saw you flinch. I can sense your reluctance. This isn't how you want to go out. If you insist on coming, it's going to put a weight on me. If I lose you on  _this_ mission, when I can sense it's not for you, I will never forgive myself— and it would be worse for Anakin.”

“And forgiving  _myself,_ Sir, if  _you_ don't come back?”

Miserable, Obi-Wan closed his eyes. “It's not death we're talking about, Cody.”

 

* * *

 

Ahsoka felt a chill as Obi-Wan lifted his head and made eye contact with his commander again.

There was something terrible in his face.

“Every day, when we step out on a battlefield, it's with the understanding we may die for one another. None of you have been under a fang. The fang of someone you trust, you love.”

Ahsoka saw Obi-Wan's breathing shift, becoming just a bit more difficult.

“To lie there helpless, knowing—” Obi-Wan took a moment, images of horror dancing across his eyes like shadows. Ahsoka almost believed she would be able to make out details if she looked too long into those worn blue orbs. “It's not just death, Cody,” he finally said. “It's bad enough if it's something you've chosen to give him.

“I know your men. All of them will volunteer. But  _that's_ not what I need to know. Not who wants to save him, who's willing to risk death to do so, but who is willing to lie on the ground, his brothers helpless to save him while the man he adores kills him by inches. And the man who is willing to be one of those who  _doesn't_ end up dying, but has to live with the nightmares made of memories of being helpless while watching it happen to another brother.  _That_ is what I need to know. Men with no hesitation for either of those fates. Because to take someone even remotely unsure, I  _will not do._ I know what it is to be willing. That is horror enough. And Anakin, once he is sane again,  _if_ he is ever sane again— he needs to know there were no second thoughts.”

And then Ahsoka could see it too.

_Cody shouldn't come._

His expression was somewhere between humiliated and heartbroken.

Obi-Wan moved around the table and placed a hand on the back of his neck, drawing his head forward in the manner of soldiers on a thousand battlefields Ahsoka had borne witness to.

“It's not you being deficient, Cody,” Obi-Wan whispered, placing his forehead against his commander's. “It's about there being a few who are built for this, and most soldiers who are made for something  _else._ Specialists, Cody, like tech workers, medics, or commandos. You're going to watch over the vast majority of your brothers who are going to be left behind too, and you're going to make sure there's something for us to return to, and a way to get there.”

“Come back, Sir.” Tears choked Cody's voice. “Make sure you come home.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes again. “I'm going to try, Cody. I'll try.”

 

* * *

It was a sober group that stood in the carbonite freezing chamber.

Ahsoka scanned the Force signatures of the five clones who waited with them.

_Master Kenobi was right to push so hard._

_And these are the right men for the job._

She wasn't sure if  _she_ was, but for her, it was different.

_He's my dad._

There wasn't a version of this where she  _could_ do anything other than go.

Ahsoka took one last look at R2 as she stepped into place.  _It's all up to you now, little guy._

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan watched as each block of carbonite was released, carefully checking the life-signs of each.

Ahsoka. Rex. Fives. Hardcase. Tup. Chopper.

He wished to hell and back that he was going alone—

“Alright, R2.” Obi-Wan stepped into place, took a deep breath—

And surrendered to the hibernation.

 

* * *

 

R2-D2 had very decided opinions about the plans that had been made.

Living beings made the damnedest decisions.

Good thing they had him to fix things when everything went to hell.

Which it always did.

At least he'd have a new tale to terrify 3PO with.

There  _were_ a few perks to following this particular set of individuals around.

Not to mention the fact that Padmé would be really, _really_ ticked if he didn't bring her sweetheart home.

_R2-D2 + Anakin Skywalker = Good Team._

 

* * *

 

Well.

The plan had gone to kark a hell of a lot sooner than Rex had hoped.

Crouching by General Kenobi's limp form, he shook his head.

He had no idea what was wrong with him. He'd fallen from his carbonite block, not conscious enough to be awake, though his eyes were open.

Kenobi lay shivering and sweating on the floor.

“Tup, stay with him,” Rex directed. “Everyone else, let's go.”

Eyes met his,  _knowing._

_Yeah. If the General isn't there to feed him..._

The Negotiator was parked in full view of a sun, and it was daytime here.

_In theory, we should be fine._

_If_ they got off planet before dark.

They headed in, stealthy, creeping—

There was something weird about this place. The lights flickered, sparks flying from light fixtures—

Ahsoka had her head cocked, listening for vibrations—

They filed around a corner, and Rex jolted. He heard the hissed curses behind him, nearly felt Ahsoka's jump—

His general stood, a statue of horror, in the center of the floor.

Strewn down the hallway behind him were broken corpses. Blood spray patterns decorated the walls, the floor, even the ceiling.

Marks across the floor, where desperate fingers had clawed for purchase as they were dragged across it to him—

For a moment no one moved, horrified by the stench of blood and fear and urine.

A corpse hung from Skywalker's outstretched hand, swaying, lifeless eyes staring.

Rex noticed his fingernails were missing, scattered on the floor by Skywalker's feet.

_The General froze before that one was dead._

Fives made a noise that sounded suspiciously like he might be trying to keep from throwing up.

Hardcase was muttering a string of curses to himself.

“Let's get him out of here,” Rex directed, wishing he didn't feel like he'd stepped straight into one of his nightmares.

Pretty soon he'd be killing Ahsoka.

Horror clamped down on that thought, burying it in the darkest corners of his mind.

_Hell. You can't_ think  _stuff like that!_

That's how men went mad.

Surely it was a sign of something  _wrong_ with him, to have dreams like that.

They moved forward, DCs sweeping, though none of the bodies moved.

In the flickering light, Rex half expected Skywalker's expression to change in the split instances of darkness.

Mercifully, it  _didn't._

And also,  _terribly,_ it didn't _._ The features were twisted in rage, insanity—

Rex tried not to look.

Tried not to see the gore beneath his general's fingernails.

That coated his teeth.

That trailed down his chin and stained his clothes—

Was that a  _fripping human heart_ on the floor back there—?

His brothers had already tried to maneuver the corpse's neck out of the stone grasp.

“Yeah. That's not gonna work,” Chopper muttered, drawing a knife and sawing into flesh.

Fives stumbled away, ripping his helmet off to lose it.

Ahsoka stood watch over the retching brother and that approach vector while Hardcase lent Chopper assistance, holding the body with his arms and pulling to the side so Chopper had room to work.

Blood stained their armor, oozed beneath to their bodygloves.

Rex stood guard staring down the hall in the direction of the trail of destruction.  _This happened moments before we landed._

Ahsoka paced, waiting until the clones had the corpse pulled far enough away that she could slip her lightsaber in and sever the spine.

The body fell to the floor, the head still resting on Skywalker's hand.

Chopper grabbed it by the hair and pulled it off.

Now for the next bit.

The men tipped the statue over, careful not to hit the ground.

_Would he shatter?_

Rex had no idea. He sure as  _frip_ wasn't going to find out.

It was an awkward shape to carry, feet far apart, arms outstretched—

The boys managed to hoist the excruciatingly heavy—  _far_ heavier than his actual body weighed— general onto their shoulders.

_Now to get out of here._

Fives ran ahead, Ahsoka fell behind—

In the flashes of light, Rex saw the boot prints they left on the once-pristine white floor.

Perfect prints of crimson.

 

* * *

 

Sheltered in the back, where no windows could allow starlight to fall on their vampire, the two generals lay side by side.

Kenobi shook in the throes of some unknown malady, and Skywalker lay staring at the ceiling, tipped funny because while he could  _technically_ lie on his back, he wasn't lying.

He was standing up sideways.

_When did my life become this?_ Rex wondered.

According to Tup, Kenobi hadn't once said a word.

“The instant we jump to hyperspace, he's gonna wake up,” Fives pointed out.

Rex gave a nod. “So we'll be ready. Tup, cockpit. Keep this bird flying no matter what else happens.”

There was a rebellious look in his brother's eye, but he obeyed.

Ahsoka used the Force to shift her master to the other side of the shuttle.

“The moment he wakes up he's going to go for General Kenobi,” Rex spoke up again. “I've got a way to distract him. Commander, you've got to try to reason with him.”  
She nodded, looking frazzled. “I also have a...” she held up a small box. “It can freeze him again. We just have to make sure it doesn't have a direct line of sight, or we'll hurt him.”  
Grim nods all around, and then Rex pulled his helmet on, accepted a knife from Fives, held it to his hand—

“Go, Tup.”

The instant they hit hyperspace, Skywalker went from a standing statue to a moving creature. His head snapping around, nostrils flaring— he lunged for Kenobi—

Rex cut his hand—

Skywalker froze, turned—

There was an almost avian whistle like the scream of a shriek-hawk—

And then Rex was pinned against the wall and felt utter shock as he heard a  _thunk_ .

Frustrated, Skywalker tried again— then  _again_ to reach his captain's throat, thwarted by armor—

Rex could hear his teeth leaving score marks across the plasteel—

There was confusion in the pale face, utter  _bafflement—_

And then his hands zipped up to grip Rex's head to break his neck— or maybe tear it completely off, given the evidence of the hallway—

And then he was utterly still, and Rex found himself staring up into unblinking, crazed eyes.

“Frip.”

Rex discovered every limb to be shaking. For a moment he simply stood there, and then he was trying to extricate himself from the stone fingers.

“Everyone alright back there?” Tup called, fear evident in his voice.

Ahsoka beat Rex to working vocal cords. “Yes! We're going to try again in a minute.”

Everything in Rex rebelled.  _Frip that._

“He's crazy,” Hardcase assessed. “You do realize this.”

“ _Trooper,_ ” Ahsoka growled.

Chopper shook his head. “He's  _right,_ Commander.”

“We're going to try again,” Rex asserted.

Cold pairs of clone eyes met his.

“If we  _don't,_ and we get him back to where there are  _more_ brothers,  _more_ people— then what? Keep him in stone form  _all the time_ ? Better he work it out  _here_ where he can only take out the seven of us, then have time to think it  _over_ and snap  _out_ of it before he gets back to the fleet. Or worse,  _Coruscant._ Where there's three trillion sentients.”

Ahsoka nodded. “We try again.”

Rex succeeded in prying himself out of the grip,  _knowing_ this was going to get incorporated into the dreams.

Killing Jedi, and then having Skywalker break his neck in revenge—

_Leave the dreams where they belong._

They had no right to rule his  _waking_ life too.

“Tell me when you're ready, Rex.”

Ah. Well, that would require giving a signal. Which required willpower.

And the ability to  _speak_ , and he'd forgotten how again.

He gave a grim nod, ignoring the pain in his neck muscles—

Skywalker was streaking through the compartment again, hands outstretched, mouth open, like some monster out of the scary holovids Jesse liked so much—

And then he paused, centimeters away from Rex's throat.

But his eyes were still darting about, taking in Rex's armor—

Rex realized he heard a voice—

“Ani. Ani, I need you to come back.”

A frown marred the creature's face—

“Anakin, you're safe. Obi-Wan needs you—”

With a snarl his head snapped around to look at the shivering General Kenobi.

“Ahsoka needs you. She's in danger, Anakin.”  
The creature blinked once, again—

And then he'd seized Rex's hand and was about to try to tear the armor off—

_My_ hand's  _going to come off!_ was Rex's panicked thought.

“ _Ani_ !” The voice was distressed now, just as afraid—

Skywalker's head came up, chest heaving, as if he was in need of oxygen—

_He is,_ Rex realized, remembering the blood stains.

_He hasn't fed._ _He was too busy trying to escape._

There would have been far less of a mess if he'd actually been  _eating._

Knowing it was probably the stupidest thing he was ever going to do in his now probably shortened existence, Rex reached over to unlatch the glove.

The pressure his general was still exerting was enough to slip it from his hand.

Skywalker's attention snapped to the cut, to the beating pulse in the wrist—

Teeth sank into it as Rex was shoved back against the wall again, his head hitting with a painful clunk. Pinned by Skywalker's shoulder, Rex wouldn't be going anywhere, and  _hell—_

He'd experienced wounds. Bad ones, sometimes.

This was  _worse._

Pandemonium broke out—

Then Skywalker was a statue again, teeth still buried in Rex's wrist.

This time, other hands helped pull him free, slide the stone out of flesh while Rex grit his teeth and swore to  _frip_ and back he would not scream.

He found a hologram of Senator Amidala, horror in her eyes, projected by R2.

He ignored her.

“He hasn't eaten. He's not going to be able to  _think_ until he's no longer falling apart.”

Fives nodded. “Alright. My turn next.”

“Then mine,” Ahsoka asserted.

The next few moments would live forever in Rex's memory.

The sound of Fives' forearm snapping as Skywalker threw him to the floor. His whimpers as they pulled him from the statue's grasp.

The fear in Ahsoka's eyes as she offered her wrist next.

The almost weeping pleas from the Senator for the general to  _fight_ this, to come  _back_ to her.

General Kenobi's unconscious shivering.

The way Skywalker lunged for the hologram, the look of astonishment on his face as he passed  _through_ it, the way his claws tried to shred her face, his fangs tried to rip her throat out—

The  _frustration_ , the  _confusion._

Ahsoka insisted she give more than they had. Waited longer until the stone was uncovered again.

Released from his hold, she sank to her knees, pale and wheezing.

The expression on the marble face of their general had changed.

It was filled with broken misery.

_Is he coming out of it?_

They tried again, Hardcase offering himself up—

But no sooner had fangs pierced skin than they were pulled free. The general pressed his forehead against the bloodied wrist—

And then he groaned, falling to his knees as if all the muscles in his legs had given way. His head hung.

For a long moment no one breathed.

Then...

“Ani?” The Senator kept her voice very soft.

He stood, moving to the hologram. Stumbling to his knees he dragged his head up to raise his gaze to her face.

Helpless despair seemed to chill the room, swirling outward from the general.

When he spoke, his voice was a hoarse rasp.

“Who are you?”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you unfamiliar with Star Wars: The Old Republic, in the game, we encounter various ancient astromechs, and unlike in the movies, we actually get translations of what they're saying that aren't living-being summaries. It usually runs something along the lines of this + that = something. Or just something = something else. T7 warmed my heart all to pieces when he said Jedi Temple = T7's favorite place.


End file.
